US Patent Publication No. 20090013719 A1 discloses a decorative cellular phone necklace capable of holding a flip phone style of cellular phone. The decorative necklace is not a tether, is not retractable and is not integratable into a cellular phone case or protective device. US Patent Publication No. 20060113345 A1 discloses a lanyard assembly worn around the neck and wrist and capable of attaching to an article, such as an electronic device. However, lanyard is not retractable and is not integratable into a cellular phone case or protective device. Instead, a connecting portion of the lanyard includes an adhesive for attaching the article to the lanyard. A problem with adhesives is that those adhesives that are removable are not particularly secure and those adhesives that are secure are hardly removable. Thus, to safely secure a cellular phone to the lanyard, the connecting portion must be permanently adhered to a portion of the cellular phone, marring the appearance of the cellular phone.
Patent Publication No. US 20090143116 A1 discloses a retractable attachment post suitable for integration in a cellular phone case. This does not mar the appearance of the cellular phone exterior when not in use. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,094,566 discloses a retractable lanyard wire/hail for a portable telecommunications device. The bail extends and retracts through a slot in the bottom housing of the cellular phone. U.S. Pat. No. 6,662,986 discloses a mobile phone strap holder connectable to openings in corners of the mobile phone housing. A flexible line is passed through the openings and cooperates with the strap and a latch that secures ends of the flexible line. The lanyard is not retractable or integratable within the cellular phone case.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,727 B1 discloses a retractable tether and an attachment device capable of being attached to a cellular phone or other electronic device or other handheld object. The lanyard has a housing separate from the electronic device. The housing includes a spooling mechanism and a spring for repeatedly unspooling and respooling the lanyard within the housing. A tether extends outside of the housing and includes a magnet that securely fastens the lanyard to a magnet secured to the electronic device. However, having a powerful magnet, capable of securing the cellular phone to the tether of the lanyard, so close to a cellular phone is inadvisable. Furthermore, the lanyard is not retractable and integratable within the cellular phone case. The spool and housing for the tether is separate from the cellular phone case, is bulky and is not integratable with the cellular phone case for retraction of the tether within the cellular phone case. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 7,665,684 B2 discloses a retracting tether for cellular phones, pagers and PDAs. The retracting tether must be clipped to a belt, pants or purse next to the location in which the device is being held or stored in order to secure the device. A mechanism allows the device to be attached or removed from the retractable tether, but the retractable tether is not retractable into the case of the cellular phone and is not integratable within the cellular phone case.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,650,007 B2 discloses a lanyard for handheld electronic devices including ear buds integrated within the lanyard. US Patent Publication No. 20130072266 discloses a lanyard with integrated headphones and microphone, allowing hands-free use of a mobile device, such as a cellular phone. The lanyard may be magnetically coupled the cellular phone case. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,727 discloses another magnetically couplable tether and external, bulky housing. These reference fail to disclose a lanyard retractable into the cellular phone case and integratable within a cellular phone case.
US Patent Publication No. 20130029735 discloses a wired headset for mitigating the health risks of using a cellular phone emitting radiation until the wired headset is extended at least 10 inches from the cellular phone. An earphone is electronically connected to the cellular phone via a cord of sufficient length to permit the cellular phone to be located more than 10 inches from brain tissue during operation of the cellular phone. An automatic shutoff mechanism prevents operation of the cellular phone unless the cord is extended at least ten inches. The earphone is attached by a wire that is retractable into a cellular phone case, but the length of the wire is limited and the earphone and wire is not a tether and does not provide a lanyard.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,661,567 discloses a button attached to a ring by a retractable tether capable of being retracted into the button. The length of the retractable tether is limited by the size of the button, and the button is adhesively secured to a device such as a cellular phone. The ring is worn on a finger to help secure the phone from accidental damage while being held by a user, such as accidentally dropping the cellular phone.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,137 discloses a cellular phone leash capable of being attached to a cellular phone case. A separate, bulky leash cord housing includes a spring retraction mechanism and a spring retractable leash cord. The housing is pivotally attachable to a belt by a clip. U.S. Pat. No. 7,354,304 discloses a retractable cord assembly for securing a portable electronic device by a tether. The tether is retractable into a separate housing. The housing may be coupled and decoupled to cellular phone case by an attachment mechanism adhesively secured on the cellular phone case but is not integrated within a cellular phone case.
US Patent Publication No. 20130129138 discloses a multi-function phone case integrating retractable earphones. The multi-function case is capable of receiving a wireless mobile phone and has a retractable headset integrally disposed within the multi-function phone case. The earbuds are connected by a wire, but the wire does not provide a lanyard. A spring-biased, ratcheted reel is included within the multi-functional case for retractably extending and retracting a pair of earbuds. U.S. Pat. No. 6,731,956 discloses an integrated spool within a cellular phone case for spooling, extandably, earbuds from the cellular phone case from a spring-loaded spool. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 7,151,912 discloses a cable retractor for an electronic device capable of retracting a cable onto a rotatable reel. The rotatable reel retracts the cable using a biasing force, unless a moveable actuator is positioned to impede retracting of the cable.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,340,221 discloses an adapter for a modular wireless communication device including a lanyard and a cradle coupled to the lanyard. The cradle is includes an audio plug configured to provide a connection to a short range wireless communication module when the short range wireless communication module is coupled to the cradle. A microphone and earbud is electrically coupled to the cradle by the lanyard and the audio plug.
US Patent Publication No. 20050011982 discloses a tethering system and holster for personal electronic devices. A tether is provided internal to a housing for the personal electronic device when the device is holstered in the holster. A spring mechanism within the housing is arranged to allow the tether to be extended from the tether housing against a bias force exerted by the spring, which provides a retraction force for retracting the tether into the housing. The holster can be worn on a belt. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 8,579,172 discloses a case and covers for an electronic handheld device. Another retractable lanyard has an adapter that connects directly to the docking port of a personal media device. The lanyard is retractable into a separate housing that can be connected to a belt or other point of attachment on a person.
US Patent Publication No. 20120273541 discloses yet another device for connecting a flexible strap or lanyard to a handheld device including a case, a connection point or points located on the case, and a strap capable of being secure to the connection point or points on the case.
International patent application no. WO2013126020A1 discloses a dual self-winding device for retracting wires of a headphone. The wires are thinner and more delicate than typical cords, such as wires of a headset for a personal electronic device. The dual, self-winding retractable device has two independently moving winding reels with gearing. Each of the independent reels allow one electrical wire to be extended or retracted into a housing for a personal electronic device.
Chinese Patent No. 201435748Y discloses a cellular phone lanyard device comprising a rotating wheel on a circular shall within a shell. A torsion spring is arranged on a bottom portion of the rotating wheel for biasing rotation of the rotating wheel in one rotational direction. An outer surface of the wheel is provided with an annular groove for accommodating a lanyard within the groove, such that the lanyard is wound around the wheel. Rotation of the rotating wheel is limited by a jamming device that can set the length of the lanyard that extends from the annular groove of the rotating wheel. Chinese Patent. No. 202664469U discloses another type of extendable and retractable lanyard. Chinese Patent No. 1218456C discloses a retractable cord reel.
Many different designs exist for wire reels and the like, but none of these have provided an easy to use and reliable lanyard and tether system for cellular phones. Miniaturized, compact reels break and are unreliable. Thus, most reels of this type are external and replaceable. Having a retractable lanyard integratable within a housing of case for a cellular phone is known to add substantial bulk to the case. A malfunction of the mechanism can require replacement of the entire case or a difficult and expensive repair of the mechanism. Neither is practical. Especially in countries where there is a substantial concern about cellular phone radiation emissions effect on soft tissue such as the brain, extension and retraction of earbuds has received some attention. Earbud extension and retraction devices that can be integrated into a cellular phone case use delicate wires and cannot serve as reliable tethers and do not include a lanyard, which would put unacceptable stress on the earbud wires. The only exceptions to this are few and use external lanyards that are not retractable.